Both can be great decks, and they are different decisions. Cedar is beautiful, cooler underfoot in summer and less expensive up front, and it needs cleaning and re-sealing every year or two to stay that way in our climate. Composite, and we are a TimberTech Certified Contractor, costs more on day one and then asks almost nothing of you: no staining, no splintering, no rot. Under heavy tree cover, where a wood deck stays damp and mossy half the year, composite is usually the better long-term value.
Either way, the boards are the part you see and the framing is the part that matters. We build the structure to outlast whatever goes on top of it.
Call Wallace Roofing & Exterior Construction for deck building & replacement in Lake Stevens, Snohomish County, North King County and the Eastside.
(206) 679-3461
FREE EVALUATION
Proper footings, pressure-treated framing with joist tape on top of every joist so water cannot sit in the fastener holes, correctly flashed ledger boards where the deck meets the house, stainless or coated hardware, and ventilation underneath so the framing can dry out. Most of the failed decks we replace around Lake Stevens, Snohomish and Woodinville did not fail because the boards wore out. They failed because the ledger was never flashed and rotted the rim joist of the house along with it.
When we replace a deck, we inspect the house wall behind the ledger and repair any rot we find. Your new deck should protect the house, not hide a problem.
FREE EVALUATION
Composite decking has specific requirements for joist spacing, gapping, fastening and how the boards are handled in heat and cold. Get those wrong and a premium composite deck will cup, gap or squeak within a couple of seasons. TimberTech certification means we are trained on their system and our installations carry their coverage. We also build with cedar, including large projects like a full replacement of a 1,000 square foot clear cedar deck, and with aluminum and cable railing systems.
FREE EVALUATION
New deck construction, full deck replacement, resurfacing sound framing with new composite or cedar boards, framing and ledger repair, stairs and landings, aluminum, cable and wood railings, and covered porches and overhang rebuilds. We handle the permit from design through final inspection, and we coordinate deck work with siding and roofing when it is part of a larger exterior project.
FREE EVALUATION
No hidden line items. This is what the work includes when Wallace Roofing & Exterior does it.
Other work that usually comes up alongside deck building & replacement.
Fiber cement siding installed to James Hardie's own specification by an Alliance Elite Contractor, with rot found and fixed along the way.
Learn moreMilgard windows and patio doors installed and flashed so they stay dry, with honest advice about what new windows will and will not do.
Learn moreSkylights that do not leak, porch overhangs and soffits rebuilt properly, and rot found and fixed instead of covered up.
Learn moreLocal details for deck building & replacement in the cities we serve most, from our home base in Lake Stevens out to the Eastside.
Google reviews from roofing, siding, window and deck projects across Lake Stevens, Snohomish County and North King County.
Straight answers from Wallace Roofing. For more, read the Q&A.
With annual cleaning and sealing every year or two, a well-built cedar deck can last 15 to 25 years. Under heavy shade where it never dries out, less. The framing underneath should outlast the boards if it was built right.
If you do not want to stain and seal, or your deck sits under trees and stays damp, usually yes. Composite costs more up front and then asks almost nothing of you. We will price both so you can decide.
If the framing is sound and properly spaced for the new material, yes. We inspect the joists, ledger and footings first and tell you honestly whether resurfacing makes sense.
In most Snohomish and King County jurisdictions, yes, for decks above a certain height or attached to the house. We handle the permit from quote through final inspection.
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